Two cows being brought to Ohio State Universitys Veterinary Medical Center for the bovine
version of a pedicure escaped today for more than an hour.

Both cows were caught by 3:15 p.m., but not before they snarled traffic along Woody Hayes Drive,
knocked down some of their would-be captors, rammed a few police cruisers and injured an
officer.

One was shot by OSU police after it again moved toward officers and a veterinarian, but even
then it remained on its feet until it was tranquilized.

OSU Deputy Police Chief Richard Morman said the cows had been brought to the vet center by their
private owner. They escaped about 1:40 p.m., as they were being unloaded.

The pair ran down John H. Herrick Drive, crossed the bridge over the Olentangy River, and
stopped in the OSU bands practice field, Morman said.

The animals were frightened and aggressive, at one point knocking down members of the veterinary
staff who tried to approach them.

One cow remained in the field, where the staff eventually got close enough to tranquilize it
shortly before 3 p.m.

The second ran back up John H. Herrick Drive to Woody Hayes Drive. Morman said police closed the
street between John H. Herrick Drive and Fyffe Road to prevent people from being hurt.

They already had been aggressive, already injured one of our officers, already rammed several of
our cars, Morman said. We didnt want (the cow) getting onto 315.

The injured officer was hurt when the cow slammed into his cruiser door and struck his shoulder
through an open window, he said.

Because the cows were so aggressive, police decided that killing them was an option. The owner
also told police they could be put down if necessary, Morman said.

The animal that was shot had taken refuge in a grove of trees on the north side of Woody Hayes
Drive within view of Rt. 315, but at one point moved toward police and a veterinarian. Two officers
armed with .223-caliber rifles shot it four times.

The shots didnt appear to faze the animal. It just kind of stood there, Morman said.

The animal finally was dropped with a tranquilizer dart fired by Michael Barrie, director of
animal health at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, who was called in because a tranquilizer gun was
needed.

The animal was aggressive, Barrie said. Theyre used to being out in a field, not with
people.

Barrie said the cows had been brought to the vet center to have their hooves trimmed.

Melissa Weber, a spokeswoman for the vet center, said veterinarians offered to check and treat
the animals after their ordeal, but the owner refused and took them home. His name was not
released.

Noting that the cows weighed between 1,200 and 1,300 pounds each, Weber said four shots from a
rifle of that caliber wouldnt necessarily mean a death sentence.

The incident was the second this month involving escaped livestock in Columbus.

On April 8, a pregnant cow on its way to the schools vet center caused pandemonium after
escaping from a trailer on I-70 near Downtown. That cow was caught and taken safely to the
veterinary hospital, where it gave birth to a healthy female calf.